


Across The Lake

by Theyna_Shipper



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Dogs, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, I don't know much about children what can I say, Probably innacurate depictions of parenting, Shared Dogs, Single Dad Ben Solo, Twitter: reylo_prompts, Writer!Ben, based on a Twitter prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25234564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyna_Shipper/pseuds/Theyna_Shipper
Summary: From the @galacticidiots prompt: When single dad Ben moves to the house on the lake and finds a stray dog hiding in the woods, he & the kids decide to take him in. It's love at first lick.A month later, Air Force pilot Rey shows up on his doorstep."I think you have my dog."
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 201
Kudos: 418
Collections: Galactic Idiots Collection, Ijustfellintothissendhelp





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't usually write for Twitter prompts but I drank a lot of caffeine and found that this one spoke to me. Hopefully it's good!
> 
> Translation now available in Russian, thanks to @not_your_senate: https://ficbook.net/readfic/9864592/25385057#part_content

Ben’s daughters are playing in the sand around the lake, looking for shells that they will almost certainly break. Moving to the lake was the best decision he’s ever made: Padmé and Shmi love playing in the water, he works his programming day job from home while writing in his spare time, and Padmé’s school isn’t too far. 

Three-year-old Shmi is scared to get too close to the water, which is a load of his mind, and seven-year old Padmé knows not to go in by herself. The only issue he runs into is when they try to disappear into a small copse of birches nearby, which they have dubbed ‘the forest’. 

It’s this copse of trees that Shmi starts running towards abruptly, leaving her shoes behind in the sand. 

“Hey! Where are you-”

“DOGGY!” Shmi shrieks while throwing her arms around a dog that might as well be a _literal bear_ bounding out of the trees. 

“Shmi!” He jumps out of his chair and runs to his daughter, pulling her away from the dog. “You can’t just pet dogs! They might bite.”

“Good doggy,” Shmi insists, pouting and squirming. 

“He doesn’t have a collar,” Padmé announces, only just catching up despite her much longer legs. 

Ben sighs, realizing he’ll clearly have to deal with this stray dog. 

“Padmé, take your sister inside,” Ben tells her. “I’ll take care of the doggy.”

“I want to pet doggy!” Shmi insists. 

Ben fixes both of them with a no-nonsense look, and Padmé takes her sister’s hand. 

“Dad will pet the doggy for you,” she says as they leave. 

The dog (who nearly goes up to Ben’s waist, and he isn’t exactly short), is now smelling Ben’s shoes and legs, and generally appears friendly. 

“Hey boy,” he says carefully. “You belong to anyone?” But there’s no one who lives nearby, just one other house on the lake that is owned but unoccupied. As soon as Ben crouches to get a better look, the dog begins to lick his face all over. 

Ben hasn’t had a pet since his father’s dog, Chewie, died, and isn’t quite sure what to do. But he’s fairly certain one of Chewie’s old leashes is still in one of his boxes, and he can take the dog to the vet to check for a microchip tomorrow. 

The dog is quickly leashed and brought inside, where Padmé is sitting on the floor reading to Shmi, from the book about dogs Ben got her when she said she wanted to be a vet. 

“Can we keep him?” Shmi demands the moment Ben walks in. 

“He probably has an owner, sweetheart.” He doesn’t want to get their hopes up. “We can take him to the vet tomorrow and see if he has a microchip, ok?”

“We need to feed him!” Padmé announces. “He can have brown rice or yogurt or peas or-”

She’s probably memorized every book about dogs back to front, and he confirms her information with Google. 

Not knowing what the dog might be carrying, he doesn’t let the girls near him that night, much to their dismay. Ben leaves a blanket and a bowl of water on their enclosed porch, and Shmi and Padmé watch him through the glass until bedtime. 

“I think he’s a black German Shepherd,” Padmé decides. 

Ben looks down at the photo in her book. “That sounds right,” he agrees. “But I bet he wants to get some sleep. And so should you.” 

After a brief protest, that they want to watch the doggy more, and after he points out he’s already let them stay up later than usual, he gets the girls off to bed and makes a vet appointment for tomorrow morning after he drops Padmé off at school. 

The dog is too well-fed, well-groomed, and socialized to be a stray, but a little too scruffy to have just run away. Maybe he was abandoned. 

“Don’t worry, boy, we’ll take care of you,” he whispers through the screen door.

* * *

The vet confirms that the dog is healthy, well-trained, and not microchipped. 

_Abandoned, then,_ Ben thinks.

“Two years old, some kind of German Shepherd mix. Should be safe to keep him around your girls so long as they don’t overwhelm him. I’ll send you with everything you’ll need if you want to adopt him, or take him to a shelter.”

“Thanks, Kaydel,” Ben says as he leads the dog out. “You know, I think we might keep him around…” He picks up some dog food and extra blankets on the way home. 

As soon as he lets the dog off leash, Shmi and Padmé run up to smother him with pats. 

“Gentle, girls,” Ben warns. “Don’t stress him out.”

The dog licks Shmi’s face affectionately, causing her to declare “Friendly!”, and starts scratching his ears the way Ben shows her. 

“We’ll have to put out an ad. See if her owners live in the area,” he warns them before they get too excited. 

“But if they don’t, can we keep him?” Padmé demands. 

Ben smiles. “We’ll see.” But he’s pretty sure he already knows the answer. “We can’t just call him doggy, though. He needs a name, at least for now.”

“Kylo?” Padmé suggests. It matches the name of their goldfish, Kira, and Ben can’t deny the dog’s resemblance to the character. 

“Kylo it is. You’re a good boy, aren’t you, Kylo?”

Kylo wags his tail in response.

* * *

A week later, when no one responds to Ben’s NextDoor ad for the found dog, he tells his daughters they can keep him. This announcement is met by eager screams from the girls, and Kylo’s confused but happy barking. 

Already, the gigantic dog has established himself in the family’s routine: herding the girls to bed at eight-thirty sharp every night, squatting under Shmi’s chair at dinner, generally letting the kids nap all over him, and curling up with Ben on the couch at night while he writes. He even swims in the lake sometimes, stinking up the whole house. 

It’s when Ben wakes up one morning with Shmi asleep on one side of him and Kylo on the other (keeping him out of the beds was more or less impossible) that he realizes the dog has firmly established himself in the family unit. 

“Padmé, sweetie, are you sure Kylo likes that?” 

“He’s fine!” She moves the end of her toy stethoscope onto Kylo’s head. “He needs a checkup!”

Kylo wags his tail amicably. “Well, I’m sure you’ll keep him healthy,” Ben says, ruffling his daughter’s and his dog’s dark hair.

* * *

“DAD! Someone’s at the door!” Padmé shouts from across the house. Really, he shouldn’t even have a doorbell, they’re both so quick to alert him to any guests. 

“Be right there. And try not to shout, your sister’s sleeping.” Of course, Shmi could sleep through an air raid, as his grandmother would say. 

Ben opens the door for a perky woman in a _U.S. Air Force_ t-shirt. 

“Can I help you?” It’s two in the afternoon, an odd time to call, and he doesn’t recognize her from any of the other families on the lake. 

“Hi. Sorry to bother you. But I think you have my dog?”

He feels his heart sink a little. “I see. Ah- would you like to come in?”

“Thank you.” She steps over the threshold and wipes her shoes on the welcome mat. “I’m Rey, by the way. I live in the cabin across the lake.”

He hadn’t realized anyone lived there. “I’m Ben. Did you just move there, or…?”

“Oh, no, but I’ve been stationed in Tucson until recently. Which is why it took me so long too- well, I saw your NextDoor post.”

Ben nods, unable to come up with a response. Padmé has already left the room, and if Rey leaves with Kylo they will be devastated. 

“Is the dog here right now?” Rey says finally, breaking the silence. 

“Actually, he’s in my daughter’s room right now- she’s napping,” he explains. It’s not a stalling tactic, not really. 

“Oh. Well, I don’t want to wake her up- maybe you can tell me how you found Kylo for now?”

Ben turns his head to her. “That’s what you named him, too?”

Rey grins. “Yeah, my friend Finn said he looked like Kylo Ren, and the name kind of stuck. Is that what you’re calling him?”

“Yes. Padmé liked it because it matched our goldfish, Kira. And the resemblance is undeniable”

“That’s cute. So, um, did he end up at a rescue or-”

“No, he was wandering around the lake. No collar, no microchip, nothing. After a week and no one answered, we figured he’d been abandoned,” Ben explains, feeling oddly defensive. If Kylo is Rey’s dog, then she has every right to take him, but that doesn’t make him any more eager to give him up. “Shmi is probably waking up now, if you want to see Kylo?”

Rey nods, and says she’ll wait out here. Ben returns a few minutes later with a groggy three-year-old in his arms and an excited dog bounding towards Rey.

Kylo clearly recognizes his old owner the minute he walks out, jumping on her and licking her face. 

“Hey there! I missed you!” Rey laughs as the German Shepherd knocks her over. “Yes, you’re a good boy! You’re a good dog! Yeah, I missed you too!”

Shmi looks down at them in confusion. “Who’s she?”

“This is Kylo’s mommy, sweetheart,” Ben says softly. “She’s been busy and only found him today. 

“Kylo doesn’t have a mommy,” Padmé protests. Where had she come from? “He didn’t have a collar or-”

“Shh,” Ben says. “Why don’t you and your sister go play while I talk to Ms., um-”

“Kanata,” Rey provides. 

“Ms. Kanata. Go work on your puzzle, hm?”

Padmé and Shmi reluctantly leave, and Ben turns to Rey, who’s standing but still letting Kylo lick her hands. 

“Would you like to sit down?” he offers. It seems impolite to leave her in the middle of their entryway. 

Rey takes a seat, and Kylo immediately leaps into her lap.

“He doesn’t know how big he is,” Rey says with a laugh. 

“He’s gentle with the girls, though.” He feels the need to reassert that Kylo had made himself comfortable in the Solo household. 

Rey clearly sees this. “This must be really awkward for you. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner; this all could have been avoided. But when I heard from my dog sitter that he ran away a couple months ago, I couldn’t really do anything about it until now.” 

Ben nods curtly. “That’s perfectly understandable.”

“But really, I’m so happy someone found him. I’ve had him since he was a puppy…” She pulls out her phone and shows him a series of photos of her and Kylo: at a shelter, in her uniform, on her Christmas card, and more. “And I’d be heartbroken to lose him.”

“He’s a wonderful dog,” Ben manages. “And you’re lucky to have him.”

“He sure keeps me company,” Rey agrees. “I hate to take him away from you and your daughters. You clearly really love him. But I can bring him over on weekends to visit, and I’ll reimburse you for everything you spent on him-”

“There’s no need,” Ben says quickly, “I mean for the money. We’d love to have him visit. But I’ll keep everything, in case we ever get another dog.”

“I can show you some great shelters!” Rey exclaims. “I used to volunteer in highschool.”

After a few minutes, Rey has Kylo leashed and ready. “Do your daughters want to say good-bye?” Rey suggests gently. “I’m sure he’ll miss them too.”

Ben brings Padmé and Shmi out. “Kylo’s has to go back home with his mommy,” he explains gently. “But she just lives across the lake, and she’ll be bringing him to visit, okay? Do you want to give him some good-bye pats, for now?”

“Okay,” Padmé says, looking like she’s trying very hard to restrain her tears. Shmi doesn’t take it nearly as well. 

“No! Kylo is _our_ doggy,” she shouts at Rey. “You can’t take him!”

Ben quickly scoops Shmi up. “I’m so sorry,” he tells Rey, while Padmé buries her face sadly in Kylo’s fur. “She’s too young to-”

“Of course. I understand.” 

Rey taps Shmi’s shoulder gently. “Hey. Kylo told me you took really good care of him.”

Shmi nods sadly. 

“Took him for walks, gave him nice food, helped him fall asleep…”

“He likes yogurt,” Shmi says. 

Padmé nods from the floor. “It doesn’t stick to his nose like peanut butter.”

“I’ll have to try that,” Rey says. “And he’ll come to visit. Lots.”

“Every day?” Shmi asks hopefully.

“Maybe not every day,” Rey laughs. “But whenever I can bring him. Ok?”

Shmi nods, and starts to calm down enough to say good-bye to Kylo. Rey leashes the dogs and heads up, and promises to see all of them soon. 

_She’d make a good mom,_ Ben finds himself thinking absently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know it's been a while but here's a quick update. It's mostly a filler chapter to get to other events but it should still be fun. Thanks for reading!

It doesn’t take long to miss Kylo in their daily routines. He was only there for a month, but left his mark just the same- in the way he guarded Shmi while she slept, sat under their chairs during dinner, and herded the girls to bed at night. 

Fortunately, they don’t have to wait long to see him again. Rey comes by with Kylo the next evening while they’re playing in the yard. 

He’s supporting Shmi while she attempts to cross a set of monkey bars when they hear Padmé shout “Kylo!”, and Shmi snaps around so quickly she’d fall if Ben weren’t supporting her. 

“Careful,” he warns before setting her on the ground. She’s barely touched solid earth before her tiny legs are carrying as fast as they can towards the dog. 

Rey unhooks the leash and lets Kylo run up to this friend, licking their faces and nuzzling their hands. Ben approaches a bit slower, letting them calm down a bit before reaching down to scratch Kylo’s head. “We missed you, buddy.”

Rey is standing a few feet away, watching the girls play with her dog while a small smile traces her lips. Ben lets the kids play with Kylo, and walks over to Rey. 

“I don’t think I have to worry about him being taken care of while I was gone,” she says, gesturing at the two girls showering the dog in affection 

“Well, you know who to call if you ever need a dogsitter,” he replies amicably. 

“I will. Though I’m planning on staying home for a bit now,” she tells him. “I joined the Air Force right out of high school, and stayed right up until now. There’s plenty I haven’t had the chance to do. Maybe I’ll go back to school… There’s a lot of possibilities.” 

Rey has to be at least in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. Spending ten whole years doing one thing like that- actually, he _can_ imagine that, and he knows it’s nice to finally try something different. In his case, buy a house on a lake and move his family there. “The community college, about a hour from here, is supposed to be quite good.”

She smiles. “I’ll look into it.” The conversation pauses for a moment, before Rey speaks again. “Seems like a nice place to raise kids.”

He’s not sure if she’s referring to the house, the lake, or the town in general. All are true. “It is. Good schools, good people, and they love the lake. Actually,” he laughs, “They’re crazy about it, despite the fact that they don’t even like swimming in it. The farthest they’ve ever gone is wading.” Ben’s horrible at conversation, until someone mentions Padmé and Shmi, then he could go on for hours.

This doesn’t escape Rey’s notice, either, how he’s utterly enchanted by his two daughters. It makes her feel oddly lonely. 

“Is the lake any good for swimming?” She asks. “I can’t say I’ve been able to try.”

“Oh, definitely. The temperature’s good in the summer and there’s not a strong current. It’s lucky we haven’t been taken over by tourists yet.”

Rey laughs. “Me and Kylo will be sure to keep it secret.”

“We appreciate it. Would you like to sit down?” He gestures to the deck. “I imagine they’ll be playing for a while, if you don’t mind derailing Kylo’s walk that much.”

“Not at all. I think he misses them almost as much as they miss him.” He’s certainly happy to run around and play with them in the yard, after smelling them all over to make sure they’re still fine. 

“He was very protective of them. Insisted on sleeping in Shmi’s bed.”

“That sounds so cute,” Rey laughs. “I didn’t realize he’d be so good with kids.”

“He’s a natural,” Ben confirms. “Besides, dogs can pick up traits from their owners.” He doesn’t really consider what he’s saying, or notice the effect it has on Rey. “Girls, don’t go into the woods!” he shouts as they move further away. 

Rey sees that they’re running after Kylo, and calls him back. He comes bounding onto the porch and starts nuzzling Rey’s hand. Padmé joins them a minute later, and Shmi’s running as fast as her tiny little legs in their tiny little overalls will let her. 

“Don’t tire Kylo out too much, hm?” Ben tells them as the dog settles down, panting.

“It’s fine; he needs the exercise,” Rey replies. “Having a big dog with too much energy running around the house is… kind of a nightmare.”

“Well, these two could tire anyone out,” he sighs. 

“I believe you. I babysat my friends’ kid once… it was only a few hours and I was _exhausted._ I can’t imagine having two.”

“Neither could I. Now I can’t imagine not.” He boosts Shmi into his lap when she can’t climb onto the chair herself. “Or silence. It’s an interesting trade-off.”

“Well,” Rey says after a few minutes. “I think it’s time to take Kylo home.”

“Ok girls, say good-bye.” Ben sets Shmi back down on the deck. “And thank Rey for bringing him over.”

The girls reply in a chorus of thank-yous and give Kylo his good-bye pats. 

“I’ll bring him back soon,” Rey promises. 

And she does bring him back, soon and frequently. It becomes their routine: for them to play outside in the evening, until Kylo and Rey come around their lake on the walk. Rey and Ben sit on the porch and watch while Padmé and Shmi cuddle and play with Kylo. 

Ben usually doesn’t talk to many other adults, except in the context of Padmé’s school, and rarely in the context of friends, so it’s refreshing to speak to Rey. 

“I should really thank them for keeping Kylo entertained. He demands a lot of attention,” Rey laughs one day. 

“I should thank _you_ for letting him tire them out,” he replies. “Kylo can almost match them in energy.”

“Almost,” Rey agrees. “I’m not sure anyone could completely match them.”

And their conversations go like this, talking about the girls or the dogs or the lake, and Ben finds himself looking forward to their visits almost as much as his daughters do.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a bit, but I'm back, with rainy day fluff for all your fluff needs. Please enjoy.

It’s a rainy weekend, which means the girls are trapped inside the house with very little space to burn their explosive energy. However, by some miracle and only one incident involving tears, Ben has them peacefully drawing while he makes dinner. 

“Don’t squeeze the crayon, angel, you’re going to break it,” Ben sighs. Shmi hasn’t really grasped the concept of using anything but a fist to draw, and it’s very hard on her crayons. It’s as he’s trying to fix her grip on the crayon (which she’ll remember for all of thirty seconds) that someone knocks on the door. 

Muttering how they’d have to be insane to be visiting in this weather, he opens the door to be surprised by a woman and dog in matching rain coats. 

“Rey!” 

Rey smiles sheepishly. “Hello! I really shouldn’t be barging in like this, but it’s been days since the girls have seen Kylo, and I thought they might be bored with the rain, and-”

She’s about to keep rambling when Ben responds. “It’s not a bother at all. Come on in.” He’s rather happy to see the dog (and the dog’s owner) himself. 

“I’m sorry for surprising you like this,” Rey reiterates as she and Kylo discard their rain coats. “I would have texted, but I’m not sure I actually have your number?” 

“I should probably give you that,” Ben agrees. “For, you know, emergencies and- stuff.” He adds

A shout of “KYLO!” fills the entryway, as Shmi and Padmé have discovered the identity of their visitor. Despite him still being lightly rain-dappled, the girls are eager to see their friend after days of bad weather. 

“He misses his pack, you know,” Rey tells him, as Kylo examines his girls by licking them all over. 

“His pack?”

“You guys.” Rey gestures at the group. “He feels responsible for you now. You’ve been adopted.”

“Do we get a say in this?”

Rey shakes her head. “You’re his now.” 

His daughters look rather happy, so Ben decided he can live with this arrangement. Then he remembers the spaghetti sauce he abandoned on the stove a few minutes ago, and bolts to the kitchen to make sure disaster hasn’t struck. 

Fortunately, the situation’s still under control, and it’s not long before a group of girls, plus one dog, has joined him in the kitchen once more. 

“Did you ladies do these?” Rey asks chipperly, looking at the girls’ messy but nonetheless carefully-done drawings of Kylo. 

“Yes!” Shmi announces. “That’s Kylo,” she clarifies, pointing at the dog’s form on the paper. “He’s scribbly,” she adds with a small frown. 

“He looks very cute,” Rey assures the toddler. “Both of these are very nice.”

“Thank you,” Padmé says, politely and shyly, while Shmi abandons these pleasantries to give Rey a hug. 

“Oh!” Rey says softly as Shmi’s small, chubby arms wrap around her. Her bemused smile suggests that she doesn’t get toddler hugs very often. 

“You’ll be getting a lot more of those so long as you stay in her good graces,” Ben warns. “She makes friends very quickly.”

“I probably don’t get enough hugs,” Rey decides as Shmi toddles away. 

“We’ll make sure you get plenty,” Ben promises idly, as he stirs the sauce. “Are you and Kylo all settled in now?” 

“Pretty much. It doesn’t take us long to move arou-”

“Rey!” Shmi interrupts, tugging on the woman’s finger. “Play with Kylo!”

“Ok, ok,” Rey laughs. 

“Talk later,” Ben replies, while his daughter kidnaps Rey to the living room.

* * *

Ben’s daughters are as sweet as can be, even if they demand lots of attention. Shmi’s smile, which just barely has all its teeth, and Padmé’s, which is missing two, make it impossible to be anything but enchanted. 

“Are you married?” Padmé asks Rey while they play on the living room floor. 

“‘T’s not p’lite!” Shmi shouts. “Dad says,” she adds for context. 

“It’s fine, Shmi,” Rey tells the younger girl. “No I’m not married.”

“Neither is Dad,” Padmé continues, looking pointedly at Rey. 

Rey laughs at Padmé’s obvious attempt at matchmaking. She’s sweet, but clearly a little bit of a romantic. 

Still, it answers some questions Rey’s had about the family. The absence of a ring on Ben’s fingers, or another adult in the house. And in what she’s seen of the places, there are no pictures of any woman who might once have occupied a place in this family. She wonders what could have happened to leave Ben alone with these two beautiful girls, but doesn’t want to pry. 

This chain of thought is interrupted by Ben appearing to get his daughters ready for dinner. 

“Rey, you’re welcome to stay, too,” he adds. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to put upon you.” She’s already infringed on Ben’s hospitality plenty this evening, and as tempting as spaghetti with the Solo family sounds, she doesn’t want to be a bad guest. 

“You won’t,” he promises. “We’re just using food to bribe you into keeping Kylo here longer,” he adds in a stage whisper.

“Well, I can’t say no to such effective bribery,” she decides, getting up off the floor where two children and a dog recently had her pinned.

* * *

“This is _really good,_ ” Rey sighs as she takes a bite of the spaghetti. 

Ben smiles sheepishly. “It’s just Betty Crocker.”

“Still amazing. I never cook for myself- not proper food- so this is a real treat.” 

“Maybe you and Kylo should come over for dinner more often, then,” Ben suggests. “What do you think, girls!”

They both respond with an enthusiastic “Yes!” 

“Please, Rey? Kylo loves playing here,” Padmé begs.

“Well-” Rey begins. But another chorus of please’s from the girls makes up her mind, and she promises to come back next Saturday.” 

“They really love you,” Ben tells Rey while she helps him with the dishes. 

“I’m pretty sure they’re just crazy about my friend,” she says, gesturing at the dog who’s waiting for someone to drop scraps.

“Kylo’s appeal is undeniable,” he concedes. “But they like you, too. Really. Shmi doesn’t just hug any- well, actually she does hug anyone. But they talk about you all the time.”

“Really?” Rey feels herself blush. “They’re really sweet. Your girls.”

“I like to think so,” Ben agrees. “Seems like they need helping or watching every minute of the day, but it’s worth it.” 

“It seems like it. You’ve done a good job with them.” They’re better behaved than most of the kids she’s known. 

Ben doesn’t take compliments well, and turns bright red while mumbling a thanks.

“Well, I guess I’d better head home,” Rey says when the dishes are all in the drying rack. 

“No! Stay,” Shmi pleads, from where she’s seated on the floor, curled around Kylo.

“Watch a movie with us?” Padmé suggests. 

“Saturdays are for movies,” Ben confirms. “We’re watching _Brave.”_

And Shmi looks so cozy, and it seems wrong to deprive them of their fluffy friend any sooner than necessary, and one Pixar movie can’t hurt, and that’s how Rey finds herself on the couch with the Solo family that night. Shmi has since moved to her father’s lap, while Padmé is curled up next to him, with a blanket tossed over the three of them. 

“You can share,” Padmé says, patting the crochet blanket next to her. 

“Oh, no, I’m fine-”

“It’s fine,” Ben agrees, spreading the blanket over Rey’s knees. “Sorry we only have the one blanket.”

“Oh, this is- this is nieces,” she realizes, finding herself just curled comfortably under a blanket with people she likes. She feels like someone’s taking care of her.

* * *

By the time the movie ends, both Ben and Shmi are fast asleep. Padmé, who seems like she’s used to this happening on movie nights, says goodnight to Rey and takes herself to bed. 

“What about your sister?”

“She already brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas. They’ll wake up in a bit,” she whispers. 

They both look to be out cold, though, so Rey carefully picks up Shmi and carries her to bed. She’s heavier than she looks, and Rey wonders how Ben can carry her so much of the time. Parenting must be a decent work out. 

Once Rey is sure the girls are in bed and asleep, she gently shakes Ben awake. 

“Hm?”

“I just wanted to let you know that the girls are in bed and asleep, and everything is taken care of,” she whispers to Ben. “And I’m heading home now.Thanks for letting me stay, I had a lot of fun.”

“So did we,” Ben mumbles sleepily as he stands up. “Come back any time.”

“Don’t say that,” Rey warns. “Or I’ll take you up on it.” 

“You should,” Ben tells her. 

“Maybe I will,” Rey says, hoping the darkness masks her blush. _Really, Rey you’re too old to blush this much._ “Good night.”

“‘Night.” Then, to her surprise, Ben bends down to give Rey a hug.

“You said you don’t get enough hugs,” Ben tells her as he pulls away. 

Rey is still smiling long after she gets home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *zombie voice* Commmmmennnnttssssss


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm finally getting better about updating this, now have some hair braiding fluff. 
> 
> And because I'm too lazy to make a moodboard (anyone who does is a magical person), here's the tweet with the photos this was based on: https://twitter.com/starlight_suns/status/1281261982725869568?s=10

When Padmé’s school year winds to a close, they’re left with lots of spare summer afternoon and evenings, where the girls are home from their summer camps but the beautiful weather and long evenings make it seem like a crime to do anything but spend them in the yard or on the deck, joined by Rey and Kylo. 

Shmi’s balance on her chubby legs is getting better, leaving her rowdy and running all day, and tiredly curled up on her father’s lap by the evening. Padmé, meanwhile, is more than content to spend all day playing with Kylo in the yard, though she’ll settle down if he starts to get tired. His girls absolutely worshipped that dog. 

Sometimes Ben feels guilty about subjecting Rey to spending so much time with them- two little girls with lots of pent-up energy could be exhausting, and he’s certain she has better things to do than get kidnapped, along with her dog, by his two daughters. But she insists that she likes it, and that Kylo needs the exercise, and they’re still some of her best friends in the area. 

“I can think of no better way to spend my summer evenings than drinking apple juice on your porch with your two beautiful daughters and our dog,” Rey decrees. 

“That feels sarcastic,” Ben says with a twitch of his lips. He notes how she called Kylo _our_ dog, like she’s decided to let their two households share custody of the gigantic ball of fluff. 

“It’s not,” Rey guarantees. “It’s so cozy, feeling like a-” Rey stops herself before Ben can hear what she was going to say. “Feeling like I have friends.”

“You do have friends,” Ben promises. “We wouldn’t put up with someone we didn’t like for this long, no matter how adorable their dog was.” 

“He’s pretty adorable,” she agrees. Kylo’s currently resting his muzzle on Ben’s knee so that Shmi can easily pet him. It never ceases to amaze Ben, how much the dog manages to mold his routine around the girls. Some days he wishes he could have Rey and Kylo just come live with them, so they can always have their friend and dog around. It wouldn’t even be that hard, considering she lives all of ninety seconds away. 

“You’re pulling,” Shmi whines, and Ben realizes that while thinking, he’s been absently running his hands through her hair. 

“Sorry, angel,” he whispers, and starts dividing her hair into strands for braiding. It’s calming, it keeps her hair from getting tangled, and she loves it when they undo the braids in the morning to find her hair even curlier than usual. Her squirming makes it a bit more difficult- and her hair is a little short- but he doesn’t mind it, not when it leaves her all smiley and cuddly. 

“Where did you learn?” Rey asks. 

“Hm?”

“Braiding hair. Where did you learn? I don’t know a lot of guys that can.” She’s smiling slightly, and watching while he weaves the five pieces of Shmi’s hair together. 

“My mother.” The simple task helped call him when he was anxious or angry as a child, and served the double purpose of keeping his long hair out of his face. When their fingers are a little more dextrous and a little less pudgy, he’ll teach his daughters. He’ll just have to keep them away from Kylo’s fur.

* * *

Rey watches in fascination while Ben’s hands work gently through Shmi’s hair. The way he folds the five-stranded braid together looks effortless, yet she’s certain she could never replicate it. One of Ben’s hands is probably as big as Shmi’s head, yet he’s so delicate and careful, and it’s almost hypnotizing to watch. 

“Do mine next?” Padmé asks, climbing onto the arm of Ben’s chair. “Please?” 

“Just wait one minute,” Ben tells, tucking in the last bit of Shmi’s hair and tying it with a small hair band that he produces from a collection in his pocket. Hair flying around must be a common problem for the girls, having inherited their father’s thick, wavy, locks. Probably a problem for their father as well. “Alright, come sit down.” He carefully lowers one girl onto the porch next to Kylo, and lifts the next into his lap. 

Padmé has more hair for him to work with, and in a few minutes, she’s outfitted with a pair of Dutch braids on either side of her head, bouncy and beautiful. 

“Do Rey’s now!” The girls demand, not able to get enough of their father’s handiwork.

“I don’t think- Rey mumbles, shrinking in your chair. “I’m sure your father-”

“I don’t mind,” Ben says with a smile that lights up his entire face. “If you don’t.”

“I- I guess not,” Rey says. She settles herself down at the foot of Ben’s chair, putting her head where he can reach. He starts to card his hands carefully through her hair, finger-combing knots and studying what might look nice. It’s therapeutic, the feeling of his hands running gently along her scalp and to the ends of her hair. She hasn’t felt this safe and calm around someone else since- she can’t remember. 

“Did you style your hair much when you were young?” He asks as he carefully selects a few pieces of hair to work with. 

“Not really,” Rey admits. “I’ve been working one way or another for as long as I can remember, so I’d usually just toss it up into something quick and practical. It hasn’t seen anything much nicer than a nylon brush and dandruff shampoo in a while.” 

Ben nods, and continues working his way through her hair. She can’t really see what he’s doing, but his fingers are moving slowly around the top of her head, leaving most of her hair except a little bit down. She can’t help but sigh a little and relax her muscles while the rhythmic motion lulls her into a calm state of mind. 

“There,” Ben says as he settles the last braid into place with a pin. “What do you think?”

Rey pulls out her phone and turns on the inside camera so she can see the braid. He’s done it in a French-braided crown that circles the top of her head, and makes her look like a princess. “I love it,” she gasps. “I’m not sure I’ll ever take it out.”

“It’ll probably last overnight if you aren’t too restless a sleeper. I could even touch you how to do your own.”

The idea of Ben running his hands along her scalp, teaching her how to braid her hair, sounds wonderful in a way that feels a little bit wrong. She takes a moment to settle herself down, before thanking him for the braid and the hospitality. 

“It’s about time I take these two to bed, anyways,” he says. “Just as soon as they’ve said good-night to you and Kylo.” The sun is starting to set over the lake- one of the best parts of living here, Rey’s found- and Kylo’s ready to go home. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I- yeah,” Rey agrees. “See you then. Good night, ladies.”

“‘Night, Rey,” the chant after her, in a way that makes her heart swell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love your feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it! I'm going to try to finish my other WIP before focusing solely on this one. 
> 
> Warning: this chapter contains mentions of pregnancy, unhappy relationships, car crashes, and death.

“How’s this one handle fireworks?” Ben asks, scratching Kylo’s tummy. “With the Fourth coming up, and all.

“I’m not sure,” Rey admits. “He’s only two years old, and I haven’t been able to spend as much time with him as I would have liked. I’m not sure I’ve ever been home with him for the Fourth.” 

“I had a dog run away during the fireworks once, when I was a kid,” Ben says sadly. “It took us days to find him. Don’t want that to happen to Kylo.” 

Kylo perks up at the sound of his name. 

“Maybe you guys could come over here?” Ben continues. “Just so you have more people around to keep him company.” 

“That’s really sweet, but won’t you and the girls want to watch the fireworks?” Rey asks. 

“They don’t like them,” Ben replies. “Shmi might sleep like a rock, but so long as she’s awake, she doesn’t like loud noises. Padmé dislikes them on principle because they’re bad for pets and the environment.”

Rey laughs. “That’s very- strong minded of her.” 

Ben nods. “She got those political genes from her grandma and great-grandma.” 

“Smart girl.”

“Yes, she’s a genius. No idea where she gets it.” They both look out to wear Shmi and Padmé are walking around the lake. “So, how about it? Come over here tomorrow?”

Rey grins. “I’d love to.”

* * *

With the first blast of fireworks, Kylo is barking and distressed. By the fifth or sixth, he’s resigned to pacing and whimpering, and generally garnering the sympathy of every non-canine resident in the house. 

“It’s OK, Kylo,” Padmé coos. She scratches Kylo behind the ears, and explains that this is one of the most calming ways to pet a dog. He remains restless for the rest of the night, but at least lets Padmé comfort him. 

Shmi, meanwhile, denies that she’s scared, but is still rather anxious. She’s old enough to understand conceptually that the fireworks aren’t dangerous, but still be jostled by the loud noises. Attaching herself to her father for the rest of the night, she stays cozy, safe, and sweet. 

“She’s so cuddly,” Rey says, indicating Shmi, who’s now curled up half-asleep in Ben’s arms. “With everyone.” 

“I know,” Ben agrees, “When she was a baby- she was really small and weak, she was born two months early. I… I basically wouldn’t take my eyes off her. She never got used to _not_ being cuddled. I guess I just like having her close.” 

“Oh,” Rey says softly. It only compounds her curiosity about this family, and what could have happened to leave him alone with two little girls, who might as well be his miniature clones. “That’s sweet.”

Ben adjusts Shmi, who whines sleepily, but is soothed by a kiss on the head. “You can ask, you know,” Ben tells her gently. 

“What?”

“About the girls. Their mother. I don’t mind if you ask.” 

“I- I was wondering,” Rey admits. 

“Everyone does.” He looks over at Padmé, who’s still curled contentedly next to the dog. “We weren’t ready to have kids, Bazine and I. She had a lot of issues, my life wasn’t exactly in control. When Padmé was- about six months old- she said she couldn’t handle it any more. I told her we’d find a way, but the next day she was just… gone. I didn’t see her again for nearly a year.”

Rey can’t imagine how hard that must have been- to be alone, confused, and abandoned, with a baby he hadn’t been prepared for. She squeezes Ben’s hand just to let him know she’s there. He smiles gratefully. 

“She came back, eventually, to say she was sorry and wanted to be in her daughter’s life. After that it was just a cycle of her leaving and coming back, again and again.” Shmi is fast asleep now, and Padmé couldn’t be more happily oblivious to the conversation going on across the room. “Then she got pregnant again, and it was just six months of arguing, exhaustion, and… well, one day she just stormed out. An hour later, I got a call from the hospital. She’d been killed in a car crash, they barely managed to save Shmi.” He inhales deeply against his daughter’s hair, as if grounding himself in the fact that she’s still there.

Rey scootches closer to him on the couch, puts an arm around his shoulder. “If you ever want to talk…”

Ben nods, seeming to have exhausted his desire to talk for the night. 

“At least you got the chance to have a family,” Rey continues. “Two amazing daughters. I’ve barely… barely gotten the chance to settle down, properly. I joined the airforce right out of high school, because it seemed like a chance to get away. It wasn’t- I don’t regret it, but I’d say these have been some of the best months of my life, since I moved out here.” Braids, dogs, Disney movies… it’s a level of domesticity she never even dreamed of as a child. 

They both sit there in silence until Shmi starts to stir in her father’s arms, rubbing her eyes and grumbling. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” Ben grunts, getting up off the couch. “Say good night to Rey and Kylo?”

“‘Night,” Shmi grumbles, burying her face in Ben’s shirt. 

Rey would swear there is nothing cuter than Shmi when she’s tired, when she’s cuddly and grumpy but not pouty. Rey has never considered having kids of her own before- hasn’t had the time or inclination to think about it- but Ben’s family makes her chest ache in a way that she’s not used to. 

This family does things to her brain that she doesn’t entirely mind. The fact that she’s never been part of one herself makes it all the more enchanting. Not that she considers herself part of their family…

“Rey?” 

Ben’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts. “Hm?”

“You just looked a little… lost.” 

“Oh,” Rey mumbles. “Well. I should probably be getting home. Thanks for having us.”

“Always a pleasure,” Ben replies. Then he pulls her tightly into a hug. “Since Shmi was tired to give you one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind comments! Keep them coming <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by the time I stayed at a lakehouse and got my legs chewed off by mosquitoes and the time I broke my arm when I was . (It was the night before my flight to China. It's a long story)
> 
> I know I said I'd get back to more fluff, bit it ended up being angsty again. I just haven't felt like writing something happy! The story is still good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This chapter took me longer to write for a number of reasons- other WIPs, volunteering for the democrats, school orientations, longer chapter length, unfamiliarity with the material. I also have a lot going on in my personal life and I'm not feeling great mentally. If that's not enough, I'm in California and the whole state is on fire, the sky is always smoky. 
> 
> This chapter does go into more detail of Rey's military service, just so you're warned. I did my best to research the material, but if you know more about it than I do, and see an error, please let me know and I'll fix it as soon as possible.
> 
> I start school tomorrow, and I'm going to try to write longer chapters, so expect less frequent updates, 1-2 a week. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“I feel like this house should have come with a mosquito warning when I bought it,” Rey grumbles. 

“Standing water plus heat equals mosquitoes, although that doesn’t sell lakeside real estate.” Ben smiles sympathetically. “Can I get you some bug spray?”

“Yes, please,” she groans, willing herself not to itch at the multitude of red bumps decorating her arms and neck. 

“Hold out your arms, don’t breathe,” he says, holding up a can of bug spray that they keep on the porch for such emergencies as these. The can hisses as it sprays Rey, before Ben walks around to her back and repeats the process. “That should keep them at bay for a little bit, but if not, we’ve got Benadryl.”

“Thanks.” Is it his parental instinct to care for everyone he comes across? Was he just born this way? Is he-

“Where’s Padmé?” Ben blurts out. They only looked away for a minute, but already one of the girls has disappeared. 

Shmi points out across the yard. “She was following a butterfly, and-”

Rey sees Padmé’s precarious position atop a cluster of rocks- normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but a thunderstorm the previous day has made the rocks slippery and hazardous, and concern spreads across Ben’s face. 

“Padmé, stay where you are, let me get you down,” he calls, striding quickly across the yard. But when Padmé looks up to the sound of her father’s voice, she loses her footing on the rocks and takes a tumble. A moment later, Rey hears a cry from the ground, but can’t see her on the other side of the rocks. 

While Rey weighs the options of going to help or keeping herself and Shmi out of the way, Ben sprints across the yard, and reappears a moment later with Padmé in his arms. She doesn’t look too badly hurt, so Rey takes Shmi’s hand and opens the door for Ben and Padmé.

Padmé is sobbing quietly and Shmi starts crying confusedly while Ben lowers the injured girl onto their coach. 

“What happened, starlight?” Ben says softly. 

“I slipped,” she sniffles. “My arm-”

“Which arm?”

She indicates her left arm. “I can’t move it.”

Ben gently taps the injured limb, causing her to flinch. “Ok,” he says, looking like he’s trying hard not to panic, “Ok, we can, um-”

“I think it’s broken,” Rey says gently. 

“What are the symptoms?” 

She lets go of Shmi’s hands to kneel next to the couch. “Pain directly over the bone, hurts more when she tries to move, it’s kind of bent at an odd angle… trust me, I’ve seen a lot of broken bones.”

A tense silence fills the room for a moment. Rey doesn’t talk too much about the time she spent in the military, and Ben’s too polite to ask. As the pilot of an ambulance helicopter, she had enough medical training, and has certainly seen her share of injuries. 

Rey breaks the silence. “You should probably get her to the hospital for an x-ray. Do you know if she hit her head?”

Ben checks her head for bruises. “Did you hit anything else, starlight?”

Padmé shakes her head. “Just my arm.”

“It’s going to be OK, sweetie,” Rey tells her. “Maybe we can get her some water?” 

“Got it!” Shmi pipes up, glad to have something to do. Rey cocks her head at Ben, wondering if this is a good idea.

“It’s fine,” he tells her. “So… hospital,” he mutters. “I’d rather not bring Shmi. I could call Amilyn but it’s late… everyone else is far, I’m not used to-”

“Ben.” She interrupts his rambling in a calm but firm voice. 

“I guess I _could_ bring her, but-”

“Ben!” She squeezes his arm this time to get his attention. “I’m here, remember?” 

He exhales deeply. “You’ll be okay? I don’t want to-”

“I’ll be fine.” She takes a cup of water from Shmi, who just returned, and holds it out to Padmé. “Just don’t panic. She’ll be fine, we’ll be fine. Make sure her car seat is comfortable. Text me if you need anything. Right now, take some deep breaths.” 

She gives Ben a minute to collect himself, before he goes to gather some blankets and stuffed animals to keep Padmé comfortable. Kylo has joined them on the couch, resting his head next to his girl, making sure someone’s looking after her. Shmi, confused and concerned, waits with them. 

“Maybe some snacks and books, in case you’re waiting a while. No painkillers, though, just avoid jostling the arm.” Carefully, as if she were a porcelain doll, Rey picks up Padmé off the couch while Ben takes her things to the car. Seven-year-olds are much heavier than Rey anticipated, and it takes her a minute to adjust. It must be a good workout for Ben, carrying these two around. “Shmi, Kylo, stay here. We’ll be right back.” 

“You’re going to be just fine, sweetheart,” she tells Padmé as she lowers her into the carseat. “Your dad’s going to be here the whole time. Just do everything the doctors tell you, okay?”

Padmé nods. Rey studies the carseat and decides she’ll leave it to Ben to figure out all the buckles, letting him know as she heads back to the house. 

“You’ll be fine,” she says. “Just stay calm, and try not to leave her alone. We’ll text you when we can.”

Ben nods. His face is still white as a sheet, but he looks steady enough to drive. Rey stands on tiptoes to give him a hug before he leaves. “Thank you,” he whispers before he leaves to buckle in Padmé. 

Rey walks back into the house to find Shmi crying softly against a pillow, while Kylo tries to lick the salty tears off her cheeks. Instantly she feels a rush of guilt for leaving them alone, and runs to check on her. 

“What’s wrong, darling?” 

“Padmé…”

Of course. She’s worried for her big sister. 

“Padmé will be fine, sweetie. The doctors are going to fix up her arm, and then she’ll just need time to rest. Make sure you let her sleep, hm?”

Shmi nods, but doesn’t look reassured. Then she remembers what Ben said, about how she always wants to be cuddled, and decides this might help. “Do you want a hug?”

Shmi nods, and climbs into Rey’s lap, firmly planting herself there for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Three hours, Rey finds herself pacing through Ben’s house with a toddler in her arms, softly humming Florence and the Machine songs into her ear. (Rey doesn’t know very many lullabies, but she’s trying her best). Poor girl is too agitated to sleep, but she’s starting to get tired enough that she just might drift off. They’ve only gotten one text from Ben, letting them know he’d arrived safely at the hospital. That was over two hours ago. God, why won’t Shmi go to sleep?

The whole evening has left Rey shaken and uncomfortable, with much more adrenaline than she would have liked. It’s brought back memories she would rather not have dealt with right now. 

Rey knows she has been much more fortunate than the others she served with. Even with the five years during which she was active duty, it left her without the night terrors, triggers, or PTSD that many people she knew had. Even the scar on her arm is from a shattered window during an accident in training. But still, she’s seen things she wishes she hadn’t, and seen far to many broken people. 

It’s her best friend, Finn, that she’s thinking of right now. They tried to pair pilots with the same medics every time, as keeping consistent teams made communication faster. She’d been flying for a year before Finn joined her. He was one of the best medics, and Rey couldn’t ask for a better partner. 

His first flight, though, he’d been more shaken than Rey had ever seen anyone. For the most part, he’d been so cool-headed, from the moment the victim was brought in on a stretcher, to the moment they were taken into the hospital. But the minute he’d completed his duties, he’d collapsed, completely shaken. Rey hadn’t even been certain he’d recover, but he was back the next day, and she never saw him like that again. He’s in the Coast Guard now, wanting something lower-stress. 

She hopes Ben is doing better now, now that the adrenaline rush is slowing down and he and Padmé are still at the hospital. 

_”There is love in your body but you can’t hold it in, it pours from your eyes and it spills from your ski-”_ Rey is interrupted by a knock on the door, and is clipped sharply on the chin by Shmi’s head shooting upwards. 

“Easy, we don’t need another hospital visit,” Rey mutters, trotting clumsily to the door.

She and Ben greet each other with matching tired dark-haired girls on their hips. The resemblance is accentuated when the girls sleepily lift their heads at the same time. 

“How is it?” The adults say at the same time, then laugh. 

“It’s a clean break. Six weeks in the cast and she’ll be just fine.”

Rey nods. “Nothing new here. This one didn’t want to sleep without you home, though.”

“Poor girl,” Ben ruffles Shmi’s hair. “I’ll just go get Padmé ready for bed, then.”

Kylo demands to check on his charge as soon as possible. He sniffs her up and down, making sure her injury has been properly dealt with. Once he’s satisfied, he curls up on the bed with his muzzle on Padmé’s stomach. 

“Ok, boy,” Rey tells him. “We’ve got to go now.” Shmi’s in bed, too, and Ben is just changing into his pajamas. She doesn't have any excuse left to stay. 

Kylo growls softly as she tugs his collar- it’s not hostile, but it’s firm. He’s not leaving Padmé.

“It’s late, you guys might as well stay,” Ben offers, seeing Rey’s helpless expression. “There’s blankets in the chest next to the couch.”

A few minutes later, Rey is changed into a massively oversized t-shirt, and has a stack of blankets waiting for her on the couch. She pops into the master bedroom quickly before going to bed, just to make sure Kylo and the girls are still fine. 

The whole family is spread on the California king, Kylo and Ben and the girls. Rey wonders with a sense of melancholy if this is how they slept before she took Kylo back. Usually this makes her feel like an intruder. But tonight, tonight she feels like she might just belong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recently found out my friend is reading this fic so here's a shout out to her. Bastard.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellloooo!!!! I know I promised longer chapters but I had to get this filler piece out first before I got to that. I'm really bad about promises lol. Enjoy!
> 
> TW: Hospitals

Ben hates hospitals. His father died in a hospital, a year after he and Ben had finally reconciled, and three months before his first granddaughter would be born. Bazine didn’t die in a hospital- but it’s where he drove when he heard, where he saw her battered body. It’s where he saw Shmi for the first time, inside a glass box with holes for his hands, when the doctors told him she was small and weak, and the next two days would determine whether or not she made it. 

Every bad event in his life has been marked by a hospital, so he’s none too keen to be back in one. 

Padmé doesn’t like it, either. It’s crowded but eerily quiet, and the fluorescent lights are harsh. Fortunately, they get in and out of there quickly, and she’s patched up in a cast within an hour of their arriving.

“Does it hurt anymore?” 

“No,” Padmé replies as he sets her in the car seat. It’s her arm that’s broken, but Ben’s carried her everywhere tonight, more out of a desire not to let her slip away from him again than anything else. 

“Try to get some sleep on the drive.” Her eyelids are heavy after their long night, and she really needs rest. “We’ll be home soon.”

On the drive, Ben has plenty of time to wallow in his own shame over everything that had happened. Of course, he feels horrible about turning his back long enough for Padmé to get hurt. But more than that, he can’t believe how he completely lost his ability to function in a crisis. His stress, his fear had completely gotten in the way of his daughters’ well being. He doesn’t want to even think about what would have happened if Rey hadn’t been there. 

Rey though… Rey was perfect, knowing just what to say and do, keeping everything under control. She even volunteered to stay with Shmi, and Ben knew that spending time with a stressed and tired toddler wasn’t pleasant. 

What did he do to deserve her?

* * *

Rey wakes up, ironically, to the words, “Shh, Rey’s still asleep.” 

“Sorry,” Shmi says in a stage whisper. 

“”Ts fine, I’m up,” Rey grunts, pushing the blankets off her legs, before pulling it back on quickly when she remembers she isn’t wearing any pants. “How’s Padmé doing?” 

Ben grimaces. “She had a long night. Lots of waking up. Kylo made sure she was settled, every time, though.”

“Aww. I bet he’s still in there with her?” Ben nods. “Of course he is. When I had the flu last year, he wouldn’t leave my bed until I was better, even when Poe came over to feed him,” she laughs. “Well, I’ll go get changed and head home. Thanks for letting me stay.” 

“Are you sure? You can stay for breakfast,” he offers.

Breakfast does sound tempting. 

“I really do want to thank you for last night,” he continues. “And I’m afraid food is all I have to offer you right now.”

“I do love food,” Rey admits. 

She leaves Ben’s shirt folded on top of a cabinet, and goes to help him with the eggs and toast. Within a few minutes, Kylo comes padding out of the bedroom, and now that Padmé's awake, Ben disappears to help her navigate with the cast. Of course she’ll be hopelessly coddled by the whole family until she’s better. These girls are so lucky to grow up with so much love. Rey considers herself lucky just to be adjacent to it. 

So lucky, that she doesn’t notice the toast burning.

“Sh- shoelaces,” Rey mumbles, stopping the swear before Shmi can hear it. About half of the toast is salvageable, but the other half is only useful as charcoal. 

“Everything okay?” Ben asks as he pops back in. “I thought I smelled smoke.”

“Burned the toast,” she grumbles. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” he promises, sweeping the offending toasts into the trash. “I’m pretty sure I always do that when I use someone else’s toaster the first time.”

Rey laughs weakly. “Thanks.”

Ben pops in more toast, while Rey plates the eggs and carries them out to the table. It occurs to her, as she sets the table for breakfast, that anyone could mistake them for a single family unit, just enjoying breakfast together after a late night.

Rey banishes the thought almost as quickly as it comes, and scrapes the rest of the eggs into a bowl for Kylo. He deserves a treat for all his work last night, even if he probably would have given those cuddles either way. 

“Good morning, sunshine,” she chirps as Padmé emerges. “Feeling better.” 

“Yeah,” she says, working around her cast. “Tired.” 

“I bet,” she agrees sympathetically. “You make sure to get lots of rest, hm?” She turns to Ben. “Be sure to let me know if you need any help, watching either of them or anything, OK?”

“If it’s not too much of a bother…”

“Of course not. I’d take any excuse to spend more time with your family.” The warmth and energy of the family is a comfort wherever she goes.

Ben smiles drily. “I wonder if you’ll say the same thing once you’ve met more of it.” 

Rey cocks her head. “Oh?”

“My mother’s visiting us next week.” 

Somehow, Rey had never thought much about Ben’s extended family- though they must have existed. Then again, she’s never met her parents, let alone had them visit, so she never really thought about Ben’s either. 

“I hope I get to meet her. I bet she loves having grandkids like these.” 

“She does,” Ben promises. “But she can be- a lot. Just so you’re warned.”

“Warning taken,” Rey promises. “I’m sure she’s wonderful. Do the girls look like her?”

“Just the eyes,” he replies. 

“Well, I’m looking forward to meeting her. Rey’s done with breakfast, so c=she can’t stay any longer, as much as she’d like to. “Let me know if you require mine or Kylo’s services again hm?”

“Will do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love your feedback! Looking forward to seeing Leia?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It's been a bit but here's our next chapter. I'll read through it again tomorrow just to make sure there's no typos, but I really want to get this chapter out tonight. Thanks for reading!

Rey doesn’t actually meet Ben’s mother for a few days after she arrives- their schedules never quite line up before then- but it’s not long before Kylo’s evening visit is timed properly to meet the woman. 

Kylo spots her first, bounding towards the new person to take in the smells before he found his girls. 

“Sorry!” Rey shouts as she tries to get Kylo under control. “He gets excited about new people.” 

“Don’t worry, dear,” the woman replies. “He seems like a very sweet dog.”

“He is, just a little too much energy,” Rey promises. Just then, the girls step onto the porch, and see their favorite visitor waiting for them.

“KYLO!” Their enthusiasm upon seeing him never dampens. 

“You must be Rey, then. Ben’s told me all about you two.”

“Then you must be Leia, he said you’d be visiting?” 

Leia nods. “That’d be me.” 

“Where is Ben?” He hasn’t joined them on the porch yet.

“He’s still inside. He’ll be out in a few,” Leia says with a wink, though Rey misses this. “So, he says you moved here a couple months ago?”

“Well, I’ve owned the cottage for about two years now, but this is the first time I’ve actually gotten to spend much time here,” she explains. “Kylo loves it, though.”

“He certainly seems to,” she agrees, watching him play in the yard with the girls, still gentle with Padmé’s broken arm. “He’s so good with kids!”

“Everyone says that, I have no idea where it comes from. He’s never spent much time around kids before Padmé and Shmi.”

“Some people- and dogs- are just naturals,” Leia suggests.

“I see you two have met,” Ben says, stepping out onto the porch. 

“Your mother is very nice,” Rey replies. “And Kylo approves of her, too, so I have no qualms.” 

“Well, Kylo is a fine judge of character,” Ben agrees. 

“Of course he is. He found you.” 

Kylo wags his tail at the sound of his name, looking over from where he’s frolicking on the lawn. 

“Rey! Play with us!” Shmi calls. 

“Just a second!” she shouts back. “I guess we’ll talk later. Nice to meet you, Leia.” Rey hops off the deck and joins the children and dog. 

“She seems nice,” Leia observes to Ben.

“She is,” Ben replies cautiously. 

“Good with the girls,” she adds, as Rey picks up Shmi and twirls her in the air. 

“She’s a natural,” he confirms, careful not to betray too much emotion. “We’re lucky to have her and Kylo.” He shakes his head at her. “I know what you’re trying to do, Mom.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with talking to a nice woman, Ben,” Leia replies serenely. “You’re still young.”

“And busy. I think I have other things to focus on right now.” 

“You seem to find enough time to focus on Rey.” 

Rey is blissfully unaware of the conversation, lying on the grass twenty feet away while she is held in place by two children and a dog. 

Ben does not grace this remark with a reply. “She’s coming over for dinner on Saturday. I’m glad you two get along.”

Leia smiles. “I’m looking forward to it.”

* * *

Rey comes to Ben’s house on Saturday, with a Tupperware full of cookies because she’s finally teaching herself how to cook more than the essentials and she owes Ben for all the dinners. 

After setting aside the cookies, she lets Kylo off his leash, then greets each member of Solos family in turn, with a hug. 

“Good to see you,” Ben tells her as they stretch the hug to be as long as possible. Kylo gives her plenty of cuddles, goodness knows, but it’s just not the same as human contact. 

“You too.”

Ben takes the cookies, and returns to the kitchen while Rey undoes her shoes. As she walks through the living room, Leia greets her warmly. 

“Having a good visit?”

“Oh, wonderful,” the older woman replies. “I always love seeing my granddaughters.”

“They’re so sweet, you’re really lucky to get to be with them.”

She nods. “Ben’s very careful about who he lets into their circle, you know. Protective. He must think quite highly of you, to keep inviting you over.” 

Rey feels heat rush to her cheeks. “You really think so?”

“Of course. You’re an absolute angel with Padmé and Shmi and they’re lucky to have you as a neighbor.” 

“Well, I- thank you,” Rey says. “I- I’m going to go see if Ben needs help in the kitchen.”

“Of course, dear.”

Ben perks up when he sees her enter. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” she squeaks. “Do you need any help?”

He hands her a couple bell peppers. “Can you cut these into strips?” 

Rey takes the peppers and finds a cutting board. “I talked to your mother.”

Ben bites his lips. “What did she say?”

She laughs. “Nothing bad. Just that she thinks it’s nice we’re neighbours.” She carefully gauges Ben’s reaction as she says this. 

“It _is_ nice that we’re neighbours,” he replies, smiling his disarmingly soothing smile. 

“Yeah. Should I take these out to the table?” She holds up the bell peppers. 

“Go ahead.”

Rey carries the plate out to the table, hoping she hasn’t read too much into anything. 

“So, Rey, what were you doing before you moved out here?” Leia asks chipperly.

“Oh! I was in the Air Force,” she replies. “For twelve years.”

“Ben’s father was in the Air Force, you know,” Leia tells Rey.

“I didn’t.”

“He was a civilian pilot for most of his life,” Ben cuts in. _God, how weird would it be if she thought we were friends because she reminded me of my dad?_

“I thought about doing that, after I left. But I decided I wanted to settle somewhere, where I could stay for a while, you know. Try something new. Oh! I’ve signed up for community college classes in the fall!” She adds chipperly.

Ben smiles warmly. “That’s great! What are you studying?”

“Mechanical engineering.”

“I’m going to school too!” Shmi announces. 

“She starts preschool in September,” Ben explains. “She’s very excited. Padmé will be in 3rd grade.”

“Wow,” Rey says. 

“You girls grow too much,” Leia says, shaking her head. “Don’t they, Ben?”

“I _like_ growing,” Shmi protests. “Padmé is always taller!”

“Your growing is perfect, sweetie,” Rey assures her. “Isn’t it, Ben?”

“Yes, it is,” Ben agrees, happy but not surprised with how well Rey carried the conversation. Maybe Leia wasn’t so far off… 

“Mine too?” Padmé demands.

“Yours too, starlight.”

Rey laughs, looking back down at her dinner. If only she could spend every night like this, just talking like this with a happy family- _this_ happy family. Wouldn’t _that_ be perfect.

* * *

“You know, I don’t think I’ve gotten to spend enough one-one-on one with my girls,” Leia says after Rey leaves. “Why don’t you let me babysit sometime, and you can have a night to yourself? I imagine you haven’t had one of those in a while?”

“That sounds fun for you and the girls,” Ben agrees. “But what would I do with a night out?”

Leia smiles conspiratorily. “Why don’t you ask your nice neighbour out on a date?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Expect about another 3-4 chapters of this, depending. I'd love your feedback!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It's been a really long week, school is killing me. I'm glad I got this chapter out and I'm hoping I can update more this coming week. I'd like to wrap up this fic and I have some ideas for one-shots I'd like to write. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

All truth be told, it's been eight and a half years since Ben’s asked anyone on a date- in other words, some time before Padmé was born. And sure, while women find the two girls adorable, the idea of going on a date with a man who already has two kids is less adorable. There’s also the fact that he rarely has time or interest for the women he meets, even when those women _aren’t_ the ones he meets at school drop-offs. 

The one exception to all of these rules has been Rey. Her love for his children is undeniable, he specifically recalls one conversation they’d had that made this abundantly clear. 

_”I swear, one day I’m just going to steal those two,” Rey jokes, after the girls have gone to bed. Sometimes she’ll stay after on Saturdays, and they’ll talk and maybe share a glass of wine before Rey goes home._

_“Don’t you dare.”_

_Rey laughs. “I wouldn’t. They belong right here.” She sighs deeply. “It’s a nice place to belong.”_

And as for his interest in Rey… well, that was undeniable, much as he would have tried to at some point. She’s friendly, she’s happy, she’s crazy about his daughters, and she seems to genuinely _like_ him, as a person. Anxiety tended to get the better of him, and make him doubt that _anyone_ did, but Rey left him without any doubt of that. 

And it wasn’t like Rey didn’t act interested in him, that her head didn’t occasionally slump onto his shoulder while they were watching movies, or she didn’t hold him a little longer than entirely normal (not that he minded) in her hugs. 

So why was asking her on a date so damn hard?

After his mother suggested he ask Rey out, he’d only spent the rest of the night denying his desire to do so. But the next three days have been exclusively panicking over _how_ to do so. Twice, he’s seriously considered going to his mother for advice, which he doesn’t think is a very good sign. 

“You’re awfully quiet,” Rey teases. 

“Am I?” he says, as if not fully aware of his silence. 

“Tired?” she asks sympathetically. “It’s been a long week. Nothing going on, just… long.” 

“I know the feeling.”

“I could use a day to just… unwind, you know? Take some time to get away from work and everything and just, breathe.” 

“Yeah…” Ben purses his lips. “Actually… my mom offered to watch the girls for a night. So I could have time to myself-”

“Oh! That’s really nice of her-”

“So if you wanted to… go out-”

“Oh, I’ll-”

“I mean, only if you wanted to, you don’t-”

“No, I’d love to-”

“Friday?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Oh- okay.”

It takes Ben at least thirty seconds to process what just happened, and another twenty to watch Rey walk away for Kylo before realizing that that hadn’t done quite right. 

“Wait!” 

Rey turns around and looks at him expectantly. 

“I meant, a date. I- I was asking you on a date.”

She tilts her head at him, looking like she’s barely suppressing a laugh. 

“I know.”

* * *

A date.

A _date._

Rey feels like a teenager, walking home with heart palpitations and her head in the clouds. 

She’s been wondering if he would, when he would, how he would. Not that she doesn’t believe a woman can’t make the first move- but certainly not on a man with children. If Ben didn’t want her in his life in _that_ way, then that was his right. His daughters were his priority, as it should be. Rey couldn’t be a disruption in their lives. 

But if Ben is willing to let her in like that- well, that was the highest praise she could receive. And she will _not_ let them down. 

Rey doesn’t even know how people date as adults. Will they go out for dinner, walk around? How should she dress? What should she do?

_Just be you,_ a voice in her head says. She spent enough time doubting herself. Ben likes her for who she is. And isn’t _that_ wonderful.

* * *

“This is fun.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Rey giggles, leaning against Ben’s shoulder. Dinner was perfect. Dessert was perfect. Ben is perfect. Everything is perfect. 

“I haven’t done anything like this in so long,” he replies. “It’s just… different.”

“In a good way?”

“In a great way.” 

He rubs his thumb against the back of her hand, a soothing rhythmic motion that makes her feel warm and content. 

“And you aren’t too worried about the girls?”

“Oh. No, don’t worry, I’ve been stressed since we left this evening. But my mom is with them. And they’re not babies anymore.”

“Were they cute babies?” Of course they were. They’re adorable. They have to have been adorable babies. 

“Would I say anything else?” he laughs. “Padmé was such a good big sister. Is a good big sister.”

“You know, if you really want to see them, we can…” Rey would hate to cut off their evening so abruptly, but if Ben’s not comfortable, she won’t force him to stay. 

“So soon? I don’t think my family would even let me back in before ten.”

“They like me?” Rey asks softly. The approval of Ben’s family would mean a lot to her. 

“How could they not?” Ben replies. “I don’t think there’s anyone who couldn’t love you the second they met you.” 

“ _Love_ me?”

* * *

_Crap._

The one thing Ben hadn’t prepared for is coming on too strong. Panicking and freezing up (which is what he’s doing now), he thought he would do, but telling Rey he loves her on the first date… he hadn’t planned on _this._

“I think you’re amazing and caring and beautiful,” because if he’s going to do this, he might as well do it right. “I’ve never had anyone captivate me the way you do.” 

Rey stares at him like he’s crazy, which he probably is. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve made this awkward. I’ll just- we can go home-”

“I think you should kiss me now.”

“You…”

Rey nods.

Ben gingerly puts his hands on her waist and pulls her close.

* * *

Rey knows now that she is thirty years old and has never been kissed properly before. 

The warm, dry air contrasts the humidity captured between their lips, her fingers tangle in his long black hair, his large hands spread on her back hold her firmly in place. 

“Yes,” Rey murmurs as Ben pulls away. “Yes, definitely.” 

Ben chases her lips again, but they’re in the middle of the sidewalk, and Rey pulls him to the side, and they’re both just content to just keep walking and stealing quick kisses in the twilight. 

They walk past the animal shelter, just barely able to see cats in cages through the window, a few stray barks coming through the walls. 

“You never got a new dog, after Kylo,” Rey realizes. She knows he thought about it, but Kylo’s still the only dog between the two of them. 

“I feel like I never really got rid of him,” Ben replies. “He just brought you to us.” 

“Serendipity,” Rey says happily. “I’m glad I found you, Ben.”

“I’m glad we found each other.”

* * *

Finally, they find themselves back at Ben’s house, standing in the driveway and not wanting to say good-bye, like teenagers on prom night. 

“I… guess I should go,” Rey sighs.

“I don’t think you should ever go,” Ben blurts out. 

She knew Ben would take this seriously, take her seriously. But she’s thrown off her rhythm by the way he overflows with emotion and affection, and she can’t respond but pulls him down into a goodnight kiss. 

“Think about it,” Ben whispers with a smile as she turns away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might be losing power this week due to the fires in California, so updates might not get out when I'd like, but we'll see. In the meantime, if you like Single Dad Ben Solo, check out my other fic, "Gone, Never Forgotten". It's much sadder, as it's about Ben raising their child after Rey dies, but it's definitely one of my best fics. 
> 
> Comments always appreciated <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Padmé is a NERD, Rey thinks she's ADORABLE, and Ben LOVES them both SO MUCH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! As usual this update got out a lot later than usual because I got distracted! I have the attention span of a hummingbird and the mental health of a squirrel (not good). 
> 
> Please enjoy! I'm looking into having a transition chapter next before a very fluffy conclusion.

Ben knows the girls will approve of Rey. That they’ll be excited to have her further embedded in their circle as it were. Or at least Padmé will, Shmi is still having trouble understanding the concept. 

“Like… best friends?” she asks, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Sort of…” Ben sighs. “But-” He doesn’t really have an example for her. She doesn’t remember Bazine, and Ben’s father died when she was still a baby, so the concept of an adult _couple_ hasn’t really appeared in her life except on TV and in books. 

Padmé whispers something in her little sister’s ear, making her eyes go wide momentarily with understanding, before nodding. “Ok!”

“Padmé, what did you-”

“We’re going to go play Littlest Pet Shops!” she announces. “Bye!”

Ben tries to stop them before they leave, but they’re skipping off to the playroom, giggling, to return to the dramatic lives of Mayor Chinchilla and Pirate Birdie. 

Rey is smiling nervously as they prance away. “What- what was that?” 

“I have no idea,” he admits. Sometimes his daughters have a language even he doesn’t understand. “I just- I don’t want them to get the wrong idea, about anything-”

“And what would that be?” Rey inquires with a look that could be either teasing or nervous. “The wrong idea.”

Ben studies her perky face, the one that he’d like to think lights up when she’s with him. “Nothing,” he decides. “Nothing at all.” 

Then he kisses her quickly before going to the kitchen, because despite some rather hasty (thought not untrue) declarations Ben had made two nights ago, they’ve agreed to take things slowly, to give Ben’s family time to adjust and understand, and to give _them_ time to find their footing, because they’ve never done anything quite like this before. 

“I guess we’ll leave them to navigate the problems of Mr. and Mrs. Yellow cat,” Rey says with a laugh.

Ben cocks an eyebrow. “The yellow cats are lesbians, Rey.”

“Oh, of course.” 

Rey is eager to learn everything about this family, every quirk and every ritual. She doesn’t want to think _too_ far ahead (because anything could happen and she does not want to set herself up for disappointment) but she can’t help imagining, what it would be like to know everything, all their routines,and to do everything with them.

Ben doesn’t realize how much Rey had integrated herself into their lives until he realizes how little their life changes after they start- well, _dating_. 

It’s just little things, like when she curls up against his shoulder, holding hands underneath the blanket while they watch a movie (and Shmi alternates between seating in each of their laps now, pointedly choosing Rey when she’s mad at her father), when he kisses her to say hello and good-bye, when she stays after the girls have gone to bed just to spend time with him. 

Rey’s nervous about being part of this. Scared of screwing up and adding more pain to their lives, more stress, any layer of instability. She can’t imagine hurting them in any way and it scares her that she might, though Ben assures her that she never would. 

“Does Padmé like me?” she asks concernedly one night, as they’re curled up on the couch, watching one of Ben’s sci-fi shows. 

“What are you talking about?” he replies, absently twirling her hair. 

“I mean they’re both so sweet and nice,” she continues. “And Shmi’s so affectionate, I know that…” She shakes her head. “But Padmé is so quiet, and introverted… I always worry she doesn’t like me.” 

“She’s not cuddly like her sister,” Ben agrees. “The people she likes, she likes quietly, and the people she doesn’t like, she doesn’t give her time. I guess she takes after me,” he sighs. “But if she didn’t like you, you’d know.”

“I guess,” she sighs. “I just… I wish I could spend more time with her, so we could get to know each other better.”

“She’d like that.” Ben looks thoughtful for a moment. “I’m taking Shmi to the preschool this weekend to make sure everything’s all settled for her to start in two weeks. Why don’t you babysit Padmé then?”

* * *

So that weekend, Padmé is brought to Rey’s house, and Rey does her best to prepare (which Ben repeatedly tells her, isn’t a big deal, and she’s great with kids, but she is nervous nonetheless). 

Rey knows he could just as easily have Padmé with him, and he’s doing this for her. And she appreciates it. But that doesn’t make it any less stressful. 

Now she’s taking her shoes off in Rey’s hallway while Shmi and Ben leave. 

“Are you excited for school to start?” 

Padmé nods eagerly, apparently being one of the few children who enjoys talking about school with adults. “We’re going to have a butterfly in science. Well, that’s what Amelia says. She was in third grade last year,” she explains. 

“You like butterflies?”

“Yes. They’re dad’s favorite, too. I asked him if we could keep one once, but he said it’s not fair to lock it in a cage.”

“They’re really pretty,” Rey agrees, and decides not to mention how she had to train Kylo not to chase butterflies after he tried to eat them, _twice._

“So, um…” Rey hesitates, trying to remember what she did when she was a child. 

“Did you really fly a helicopter?” Padmé demands suddenly. 

Rey purses her lips. It’s not the first time a child has asked her about being in the military, and sometimes it’s innocuous, but it often makes her uncomfortable. She knows it’s not their fault, and she’s had adults be much more invasive, but it doesn’t make it much easier. 

“Yes,” she says hesitantly, “Yes, I did.”

Her next question is a surprise. “How does it work?”

“You mean?”

“Like what does the… the fan thing… what does it do?”

Rey smiles. “I’m not… Why don’t we look it up?” 

And before Rey knows it they’re in the yard folding and flying paper airplanes, sometimes deciding which one flies best, sometimes adding stickers and drawings even though it throws off the weight balance (which she explains to Padmé, who decides that beauty and functionality must both be incorporated). She doesn’t even notice what time it is until their most recent creation hits Ben squarely in the nose as he comes around the back to find them. 

“Sorry,” Rey laughs, as Shmi runs up and demands her sister explains what they are doing. 

“Are you ladies having fun?” 

“I think so,” Rey replies, looking at the carnage of paper on her lawn that she’ll have to pick up for recycling later. 

Ben can’t deny how wonderful she looks with flushed cheeks and glowing from the affection of his daughters. (They do that to people). He swoops down to give her a quick kiss before Padmé overtakes him in greeting and eagerly detailing the events of her afternoon. Ben shoots Rey a sweetly maddening “I-told-you-so” look. 

“You and Rey had fun then?”

“Uh-huh! You should come next time, Dad!”

“Mm. Maybe I will,” he agrees. 

The only thing Rey can think, as she watches them leave, is that she wishes they never had to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random, but the Littlest Pet Shops (Mayor Chinchilla, Pirate Birdie, and the Lesbian Yellow Cats) are all from my Littlest Pet Shops when I was a kid. I recently had to clean out some old toys and it made be nostalgiac. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I always love seeing your comments.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Here's our pennultimate chapter. Loaded with fluff. I've had kind of a rough week, but I'm glad I was able to get this out. Now to work on the epilogue and study for my chem exam. In the meantime, enjoy!

September passes in a flash, and the girls have started school- including Rey, who’s starting the next chapter of her life between her community college classes and her job in town. 

October happens before she knows it, and is it just her or does time pass unusually quickly when she spends every spare minute with the Solo family? 

“REY!” 

She’s now used to being summoned by high-pitched shouts across the house. “Be right there!”

“Rey, look at Kylo’s Halloween costume!” 

The black dog comes padding out of the girls’ bedroom, arrayed in a cape and hat that, while being limited, still is clearly _Kylo_ , the namesake and not the dog. 

He doesn’t look thrilled with the costume, but Ben promised he mitigated the damage of anything more extensive, and she thinks her dog can handle one night of trick-or-treating in this. 

“Do you have a costume yet, sunshine?” Ben asks as he emerges from the girls’ room. Rey loves it when he calls her _sunshine._ There’s such a sweet lilt to his voice, and usually at least a half-smile spreading across his cheeks. 

But no, she does not have a costume. She hasn’t dressed up for Halloween since maybe middle school. 

“You need a costume!” The girls protest simultaneously. “We both have them already!” 

“Hmm. What’s your dad’s costume?” 

“A vampire,” Shmi giggles. 

“He is _every year_ ,” Padmé says with a dramatic sigh, disappointed with her father’s lack of originality in costuming. Rey will admit, Padmé’s Marie Curie costume (she is such a _nerd_ , and it gives Rey life) is quite impressive. She tried to argue against the green glow-sticks, as that wasn’t proper radiation safety, but Ben pointed out that people from the time didn’t know what radiation safety _was,_ and so the glowsticks stayed. Shmi’s Wonder Woman, while less original, is still adorable. 

“Maybe I could be a vampire too?” Rey proposes in her costume laziness.

“NO.” The decision is unanimous, from all three of the Solos: Rey needs her own costume. 

“We have lotsa costumes!” Shmi says eagerly, trying to drag her away

“I think they want to make you over,” Ben whispers.

“I’ll see you on the other side,” she replies as she disappears.

* * *

Ben knows he shouldn’t laugh, but his girlfriend looks ridiculous, with her hair in chunky and messy braids and shoved into some horrifying fairy dress. 

“Happy?” she grumbles.

“Very,” he replies with a smirk. “You look… exquisite.”

“I can’t believe you surrendered me to those little _demons.”_

“I thought you loved them.”

Rey sighs. “I do. I can’t stay mad. But I will be doing my own hair on Halloween.”

“What if I do it?” he suggests.

“Mm. I like the sounds of that,” she purrs, as he starts to undo her hair before the girls can object.

* * *

After nearly three hours of trick-or-treating, Shmi and Padmé have sore feet and heavy bags, and they’re coming back home to sort their candy and watch The Great Pumpkin before bed. 

“Don’t let Kylo near any of the chocolate,” Ben orders as they set their bags on the counter. Kylo looks disappointed, and Rey promises him some cheese as compensation. 

It’s as Rey is opening the fridge to look for the cheese that Ben blurts it out. 

“You should move in.”

Rey nearly drops the packet of cheddar slices she is holding. “What?”

“Move in,” he repeats. “With us.”

“I…” She shakes her head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Ben.”

“Why not? You spend so much time here. We want you here more.” 

Rey closes the refrigerator door and turns to face Ben. “Your girls need stability. I shouldn’t be coming in and out if I’m not going to stay.”

“Then stay. I meant it when I said I didn’t want you to leave, Rey.”

Rey opens her mouth to say something, then closes it again. She _wants_ to say yes. They’ve talked about this a little before. How the kids are wonderful but also a lot of work and how they’re both taking this seriously. But she would never stay if it wasn’t what was best for them.

Then again, would Ben _ask_ her if it wasn’t what was best for them? 

“Don’t answer right away,” Ben suggests. “Just… consider it. And let me know.”

“I will,” Rey promises. She kisses him lightly. “Good-night, Ben.”

* * *

Lying on her bed that night, Rey wonders what to do.

“What do you think, Kylo?” She asks the dog, who is seated on the floor. 

Kylo wags his tail at the sound of his name.

“You’d like it, wouldn’t you? We wouldn’t even have to share you anymore.”

He just bends forward to lick her face. 

“And I wouldn’t be coming and going all the time. In a way it would be _more_ stable.”

Kylo smiles in affirmation. 

“But it’s only been three months. That’s not very long. It’s not like…” Rey pauses. “Do you think we would ever get _married?”_

Rey suddenly realizes the futility of discussing these matters with a dog, and instead turns to texting Finn, who unhelpfully suggests that she _go with her gut._

* * *

Ben tries not to pressure Rey. He goes two whole weeks without a response, and doesn’t mention anything. He knows when to give someone space, and now is the time. 

Still, the wait is killing him, and he can’t help but wonder if he’s ruined something. 

Until she leans close to him during the movie one night and whispers, “I want to stay.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes. I’ve decided. I want to stay with you.”

Ben decides, right then and there, that he will marry her someday.

* * *

“Rey, I can’t find my backpack!”

“I think I saw Kylo with it!”

“Well, why didn’t you take it from him?”

They share the chaos now like a routine, sometime here, sometimes there, sometimes everywhere. 

“Do _you_ know where Padmé’s backpack is?”

Ben shakes his head. “Last time I saw it, it was by the-” He pauses for a moment, then looks upset. “Oh, no.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing, just let me go check...” He tries to leave, but Rey follows him into his office, where he searches around for a few moments before declaring, _”Dammit.”_

“What is it, Ben?”

“Nothing, where’s Kylo?”

_”Ben.”_ Rey grabs his sleeve to hold him in place. “Just tell me. It’ll be fine.”

He shakes his head. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“KYLO! Drop it!”

Shmi interrupts them, barreling in after Kylo. “Dad, Kylo took the ring and I can’t get him to drop it!”

_”Ring?”_   
Then, to her surprise, Ben starts _laughing._ “Secret’s out, I guess.” He kneels down to take the ring from Kylo’s mouth. 

“You mean…?”

“Rey, will you marry me?”

The answer is barely even necessary, but that doesn’t stop an enthusiastic _”Yes!_ from her lips as Ben pulls her into a tight hug. 

Shmi piles onto the hug, while Kylo barks eagerly, and Padmé wanders in with a confused, “I found my backpa-” before realizing what’s happened, and shrieking with excitement, as Rey and Ben add her to the hug. 

They can all agree that now, their family is complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're almost done, I'll have the epilogue up later this week. Thank you all for sticking with me this long, I'm glad you liked it so much! This was a really fun prompt to write for, even if I took it possible too far. After this I guess I'll just be working on one-shots and my Sims' lesbian farming commune. 
> 
> As always, I'd live to see your comments!


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks! Here's the soft and sweet epilogue. Thanks for sticking with this and for all your great comments, it helped me through a rough time. I hope you enjoyed and you'll check out some of my other works! I write more reylo than is good for me XD
> 
> Also if you want some random reylo photo edits I made have a look: https://www.pinterest.com/susannahbeepaul/my-reylo-edits/
> 
> So, here's your epilogue, complete with Reylo baby <3

“Rey?”

Ben steps into the house, ushering the girls in after returning from the park with a quick “wash your hands”. 

Immediately, Kylo runs up and starts snapping his jaw at them, like a bark without the sound. Ben has come to learn that this means, _You’re being too loud, the baby is sleeping._

“Sorry, boy,” he whispers, creeping back to the nursery, Kylo trailing at the girl’s heels to make sure they don’t cause any further disturbances. His protectiveness has primarily been transferred to Maisy for the time being, though everyone else still gets plenty of attention. 

Rey is sitting in an armchair, carefully balancing Maisy in a comfortable position, with the satisfied look coming from having found one that works for both her and the baby. 

“Did you have fun at the park?” she whispers.

“Shmi got tan bark in her shoes and insisted she couldn’t walk, and Padmé wanted to take home a duck, so about the usual,” he replies. “DId you two get some rest?” 

“Enough.” Maisy starts to squirm, rubbing her eyes and whining.. “Well, look who’s awake.” 

Padmé creeps into the room as quietly as she can. “Mom?” 

It took awhile for Rey to accustom herself to the title, and it really wasn’t until the baby was born that she felt comfortable being ‘Mom’. Padmé and Shmi, too, took some time to get used to it, but very much like having a mother with them. 

“Hello, sweetheart. How was the park?” 

“Fun,” Padmé whispers. “Is Maisy still asleep?”

“She’s waking up,” Rey replies, nudging aside a hand that has already started reaching up to pull her hair. “Do you want to hold her?”

Padmé’s eyes widen. “Yes,” she says eagerly. She is very delicate with her baby sister, careful when holding her, and sets a good example for Shmi. 

Ben helps her get settled among some cushions to create a safe little nest for the baby, before settling her with Padmé.

“Careful with her head,” Rey fusses. 

“Mom?” Shmi trots in with significantly less grace, but no less enthusiasm. 

“Careful, darling, Maisy’s just waking up.”

“Oh,” she stage-whispers, running up to the arm of the chair. “Hi, Maisy.” Shmi holds out a finger for the baby to grip, something she finds extremely charming. “We went to the park. You should go with a nice next time.”

“You’d like the birds. And dogs,” Padmé agrees. 

Despite the lack of a response, they’re satisfied with their one-sided conversation, and continue cuddling their sister. 

Ben notices her watching them from a distance. 

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Rey says. “Yes, it’s great.”

“You realize we owe this all to Kylo?” Ben realizes. 

“And you stealing my dog,” Rey agrees.

“Stealing?” He frowns. 

“Don’t worry?” She kisses him gently. “You stole my heart, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and thanks again to Fran for the prompt. 
> 
> If you're wondering where I got Maisy, it's derived from Maz (Maz -> Mazzy -> Maisy). 
> 
> Now I'll probably work on some oneshots (and homework lol) but which of the following long fics would you rather read?
> 
> WWII AU- It's been two years since the war started, but Ben would never think of enlisting, not when his niece and his mother need him at home. When he gets drafted, his friend Rey steals his draft card, dresses as a man, and enlists in his place. 
> 
> Fake Marriage AU- Rey is diagnosed with non-terminal breast cancer. There's a treatment, but she doesn't have healthcare. Ben offers to marry her so she can be added to his health insurance. 
> 
> Let me know in the comments! Love y'all <3
> 
> Update 10/14/20: Y'all really liked the fake marriage AU, so here it is: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27018931/chapters/65959591  
> I still plan to write the WWII AU, but this is what's happening right now. Hope you check it out!

**Author's Note:**

> While I intend to add to this (it was originally a one-shot but I found the prompt very writable), I have another WIP going right now. I'm really only posting this so I feel obligated to go back to it. Comments make me write faster!


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